My father and grandfather were some of the hardest-working, Bible-believing people I knew. My grandfather raised a family of four kids, and together with his wife they ran a small farm (110 acres), with some help from my grandmother working at Beech Nut Foods in Canajoharie, NY, when the kids became teenagers.
My father left the farm after graduation from high school and went to work at General Electric. Through their apprentice program, became a very high qualified engineer. That training served him well when he went into the Army as was tasked with training other engineers that were needed to keep the various equipment up and running.
When my brother and I were old enough, probably starting at age 7, we helped at the farm cleaning out the gutters, throwing hay down from the hay mow and helping put in hay during the summer. My mother was not pleased when I walked home one day in a daze. I had been helping my grandfather throw hay bales down from the mow. Being a rookie at this, I didn’t have the knack of getting the hay hooks out of the bale as it was on its way to the floor below. Needless to say, I followed one bale down and fortunately landed on the bale – but on my head. They say what doesn’t kill you makes you tougher. Now I know why kids brought up on a farm are so tough!
I have found some great photos of the people and machinery used at my grandfather’s and great-uncle’s farms from going through old family albums. They always bring a smile to my face and help me to appreciate what I have today.
by Bruce Button
